Templar and Mage Training 101

[nofury]

WHO: Mage and Templar combat training participants and onlookers
WHAT: The first of weekly training sessions.
WHEN: Backdated to Wintermarch 4
WHERE: Outside Skyhold.
NOTES: Currently closed to volunteers for the first session. Will open up participants pending a successful session. There will be weekly training drills from here on out, with volunteers filling in for Dorian or Maria if and when they leave for missions.

The clearing is not far from Skyhold’s walls, but enough to ensure no passing merchants or courtiers will be endangered or gain too much gossip to bring abroad before the training program had hit its stride. Flat rock with sparse patches of grass struggling through makes for a space more open and less crowded than the courtyards within Skyhold, and whatever ice or snow has built up has been long since scraped and melted away. A number of dueling circles had been marked out by stone or magic to keep pairs from accidentally tumbling into one another’s battles. To one side of these rings sits a box of lyrium potions, to the other a cask of water and some hardtack. Clearly, this is a bring your own drinks events for any Inquisition spectators (despite any jokes that may have been heard, participants will not be drinking while Maria is around).

Maria Hill and Dorian Pavus pair up mages and templars then take turns participating in the pairs themselves or strolling along the outside of the dueling circles to offer constructive commentary. Or, if worse comes to worse, separate pairs that have taken the friendly nature out of this training session.

Only a small audience has formed, of Templar and mage both. They remain out of the way and mostly separate, watching as if equally curious to see success as much as failure.

[[OOC: Assigned training pairings are as follows:
Nerva with Sabriel and Vivienne
Elian with Dorian and Alfsigr
Maria with Benevenuta and Simon

Feel free to tag into the open posts of non-assigned characters, as well as tag around in general. Spectators are welcome to tag in, just remember anyone causing disruptions will be swiftly asked to leave!]]

Comments

[onlyhymns]

There's no overt disapproval to speak of-- Cade is just avoiding Maria in particular. When he sees her eyes lock on him, he's already started to wander away, but stops when he hears his name and turns to her, badly pretending he just hadn't noticed her.

"Knight-Captain Hill," he greets, keeping things formal. He hasn't seen her since they were children, and he's been hoping she didn't remember him.

[nofury]

"Considering the state of the order, you can dispense with the title for a time."

She'd had mixed feelings ever since receiving it, and after the actual Templar meeting that had only intensified. The Inquisition really wasn't the proper place to figure it out.

"What do you think of our experiment?"

[onlyhymns]

Cade's title was the thing binding him to reality, and when Maria replied thus, he looked a bit as though she'd just slapped him. Not that he hadn't been warned of the changing times, but still, it was a lot to grasp.

"I'm not sure," he said quietly, and ultimately decided, "it's worth investigating."

[nofury]

"Then you have reservations."

If there were no, there would be no uncertainty, after all.

[onlyhymns]

"... of course I have reservations," he replies, a bit taken aback. "Mages have proven many times over that a peaceful arrangement will only continue as long as it pleases them."

[nofury]

She tilted her head slightly, interested now. Not judging or angry, simply interested.

"I don't remember hearing your voice at the meeting."

[onlyhymns]

Well, she's got him there. Cade stares at Maria, realizing that of course she is completely right and he isn't sure how to react to that without outright saying 'I'm a giant coward'.

"..I, um..." he stammers uselessly.